After weeks of bureaucratic hang-ups from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, Northern Inyo Hospital now has the building permit to actually start construction of the new hospital building.nih_foundation_1

CEO of Northern Inyo Hospital, John Halfen, said that work crews will start with the drilling of piers that make up the foundation of the new building. The Office of Statewide Health Planning required Northern Inyo to build dozens of cement piers, fifty feet deep. While most feel this is overkill, the State would not give in.

Most recently, the OSHPD bureaucrats had held up construction to quibble over the menu at the hospital, including demands for ethnic dishes.

As for construction that will start next week, CEO Halfen said that the drilling process will make a lot of noise and that “every effort will be taken to abate the noise.”

Occupancy of the new building is now expected in October of 2011. Most of the funding for the project will come from a bond measure approved by voters in the hospital district.

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